Bridge: Agrabah Nights (II)
by fallingfreely
Summary: Strange things happen under the Agrabah moon. Companion to "Sins and an Absolution".
1. Chapter 1

The light from the full Agrabah moon lit Jasmine's room on one particularly hot Agrabah night. She sat on the floor on the beautifully crafted mat in the center of the room and relaxed against the many throw pillows, her pipe in hand.

Jasmine took a long drag from the pipe, inhaling the sweet, intoxicating fumes. She crossed her legs in the royal attire that Princess Jasmine had given her for the engagement party and kicked off her sandals. Even though the party was still going on downstairs, Jasmine had elected to return to her room early for the evening. After all, she had more exploring to do in the slums of the city.

She sighed heavily, the smoke pouring steadily from her nostrils. She hit a lot of dead ends in Agrabah. Ever since Jafar had been taken care of, most of her leads had vanished, making it that much difficult to track down the lost pages of the journal.

'Am I ever gonna be done with this?' Jasmine asked herself, rubbing her under eye area careful not to disturb the smoky black eye she applied earlier. 'Am I ever going to go home?'

The sound of thundering knocking startled Jasmine and she looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowed. Who in the world could be at her door at this hour?

Jasmine reached for the dagger Aladdin had given her on her last visit, carefully draping her open, emerald green robe over it.

"Come in," Jasmine called slowly.

The door nearly flew off its hinges as Ventus, who was also dressed for the party in blue and white royal attire, stumbled into her room. The blond tossed himself onto Jasmine's makeshift bed on the floor and rested his head in her lap.

"Come back to the party!" Ventus begged, staring up at her with puppy dog eyes.

Jasmine smiled slightly and brushed Ven's wild blond hair out of his eyes, only for it to fall back into place every time. "I'm tired, Ven. I gotta get rest before I go out tomorrow."

Ventus pouted and poked Jasmine's slightly showing abdomen. "There's a party downstairs and you wanna stay cooped up in your room. We're staying in the sultan's palace! There's music and alcohol and dancing."

She was firm with her decision to stay in her room. "Maybe when I don't have to dig up dirt on a dead SHINRA rat," Jasmine said. "Besides, I'm not in much of a party mood."

The blond sighed. "It's always business with you."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and stared back up at the moon while she continued to play in Ventus' hair. "I'm only here because of business, Ven," she gently reminded him. "I can't go home empty handed – not when there's so much at stake."

The air in the room became stiff when they fell silent. Jasmine looked down at Ventus, who had removed his glasses and set them on the nearest pillow. Gone was his normal playful expression and his eyes hardened slightly.

"You're right," he said finally. "I'm being selfish."

"What are you talking about?"

Ven sighed once more, the maturity in his face showing. "Sometimes I honestly forget about SOLDIER and all that – and I think we're just on this big adventure. But this is our job. And you've got so much on your plate. I need to be more mindful of you and your situation."

Jasmine's heart sank. "Ven, its fine._ I'm_ fine," she half-lied.

Ventus made a face, knowing almost immediately that Jasmine wasn't being completely truthful. "Come on," he said. "I know better."

Taking another long drag, Jasmine focused her attention back to the moon. "I know. I don't know why I even said that. But," she said suddenly, "it's nice to be at another party. I'd rather be celebrating a wedding than doing field work right now. Weddings are so uplifting."

"Yeah, they are," Ventus agreed, crossing his arms over his chest before closing his eyes.

A comfortable silence hovered over the pair as they listened to the distant music down below on the first floor from the engagement party and the wind whistling through the city. Agrabah nights were peaceful for the most part, that's one of the reasons why Jasmine and Ventus loved it so much.

That, and the fact that the city had a wild, mysterious, sexy air about it.

"Jasmine," Ven said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

Ventus hesitated for a moment. "Have you talked to Noctis in a while?"

Jasmine stiffened. In truth, she'd only talked to him a couple of times since she left Radiant Garden. Noctis and the others were travelling along the Lucis countryside, looking for information on what was going on in the kingdom. Jasmine knew how important the mission was to Noctis and the others, who were desperately trying to reclaim their homeland, so she did her best to make herself scarce.

"Not since I left Deep Jungle," she answered plainly. "Besides, it's not like we talk about much even when we do get put together."

Ventus sneered. "His social skills still need a lot of work. How are you two supposed to have a relationship if you guys don't talk?"

Jasmine scoffed, feeling slightly annoyed; not with Ventus or his question but with her own situation with the prince. "We don't have a relationship," she replied coolly.

"Yikes." Even Ventus could feel the icy edge to Jasmine's tone. "Trouble in paradise?"

Jasmine relit her pipe after filling it with more of the unnamed Agrabah herb, inhaling deeply before blowing the smoke away from Ventus. "I get that Noctis is experimenting and he's confused. But let's be honest, Ven: he's not going to date me."

"Is it because of the royalty thing again?" Ventus rolled his eyes. "Look at Aladdin and Jasmine. They're getting married and he's definitely not a nobleman or a prince."

"Aladdin actually loves Jasmine and vice versa," Jasmine pointed out to him. "Besides, the sultan is different: he'd actually allow Jasmine to break tradition. Deep in my heart I know that, even though Noctis puts up a good front with the rebelliousness, he'd break down and do what his father tells him."

Ventus rolled out of Jasmine's lap and propped up several pillows behind him, positioning himself so that he was now sitting in front of Jasmine. "You don't see him actually taking you seriously, do you?"

Jasmine bit the end of the pipe and closed her eyes. "I don't see us becoming anything more than what we are now: confused partners. I just don't it happening, Ven. And he doesn't do anything to prove that he wants one. Not that I can fully blame him though: he's got more on his plate than I do."

"So you don't see yourself falling for him?"

Jasmine paused before she spoke, thinking on the subject long and hard. "I can't see it. He'd have to really do something amazing for me to even open up that can of worms. Call me crazy, but I still believe in marrying someone for love – " But Jasmine froze right there, feeling a familiar sting in her chest.

Ventus caught on quickly, apologizing for bringing up a painful subject for her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," she told him quickly and calmly. "It doesn't hurt to talk about it anymore…at least not like it used to. Besides, you and I can talk about anything."

"Really?" Ventus' ears perked up.

Jasmine nodded her head. "Uh huh. Nothing is off limits."

"Nothing huh?" Ventus grinned from ear to ear. "Eat your heart out, Noctis!"

Jasmine threw a nearby pillow, hitting Ventus square in the chest. She laughed. "Why do you always pick on Noctis? You know he struggles enough on his own."

"I'm just kidding," Ventus replied, tossing the pillow aside. "I do it just to see if he'll actually take the first step and actually do something."

"You've got a better chance of hell freezing over," Jasmine snorted.

Ventus thought long and hard about it, eventually throwing his hands up in the air. "You're right," he agreed. "He has every opportunity to man up and make a move if he wants. His loss."

"Loss?" Jasmine lifted an ebony eyebrow. "Noctis can have his pick of women. He's attractive in his own way. He's like that strong, silent, but he's still got that I've-got-a-shady-past-so-don't-screw-with-me look going on."

Ventus groaned inwardly. Jasmine was completely missing the point. "Jasmine, Noctis is missing out on a great girl. Other men look at you. Hell, even Prompto used to chase you," Ventus reminded her.

Jasmine waved her pipe around. "Prompto loves women, period. You should have seen him when I first met him. He was a_ mess_. He was always picking up girls."

"At least he's honest about what he wants," Ventus offered.

"True."

"But still, Noctis lives with you. He had too many opportunities. I would've at least thought that he would attempt something by now – at least something on the low that goes beyond buying your flowers."

"How do you figure that?"

Ventus gave Jasmine a hard stare. "Jasmine, you're funny and smart and talented. And you're gorgeous. Girls like you don't come around very often. And you live down the hall from him. It's like the universe set this situation up perfectly and he's shooting himself in the foot."

Jasmine strangely found herself blushing. She was thankful for the dim lighting. Ven had never affected her like this before.

"What about you?" Jasmine quickly tried to redirect the focus of the conversation. "Not once in the entire time that I've known you have you said anything about any of the people you've dated."

Ventus chuckled. "That's because I don't date. I'm in SOLDIER, remember? No one really wants to date someone who bounces around the world all the time."

"Eh. I get that." Jasmine's lips pulled into a smirk. "But I know you've had a fling or two."

Ventus fired another smirk back at her. "Well I never said I _didn't_."

"So how many girlfriends have you actually had?"

"Two," Ventus answered. "And I've had three flings. All of them ended well surprisingly."

Jasmine nodded for her response. In truth, she couldn't foresee any of Ven's relations going sour. He was just too…._perfect _almost. She cautiously asked her next question. "How many times have you been in love?"

The normally hyperactive blond was quiet for a long time, concerning Jasmine deeply. He looked behind him, his face lit by the full Agrabah moon, shadows dancing across his face. "Me?" He said finally. "Only once."

Jasmine stiffened up, worried if she should ask him the next question or not. But Ven would tell her if something was off limits (which was never the case) and she would be completely okay with that and never bring up the subject again if he asked it of her.

"Who was she? I'm sure she's special if _you_ loved her," Jasmine said with a warm smile.

Ventus let a sigh escape his lips. "Yeah, she's special, that's for sure."

Jasmine placed another pillow behind her back to prop herself up. She hesitated in asking her next question. "Who is she?"

Ven turned back to Jasmine with a slightly pained look in his eyes accompanied by a smile. "Aqua."

Jasmine's jaw dropped and she made no effort to try and hide her shock. "Blue-haired Aqua? Your teammate?"

Ventus nodded.

Then, all at once, Jasmine began putting the pieces together. Aqua and Ventus had been friends for a long time. In fact, she had been his medical mentor during his early days in SOLDIER. And what else wasn't to like about Aqua? She was kind, she was talented, wise beyond her years and she was pretty. Jasmine could easily see why Ventus fell for Aqua.

However, when she fast-forwarded to the present where Aqua and Terra were in a relationship, Jasmine felt her heart ache for Ventus.

"I never told her," Ventus spoke up, almost out of nowhere.

"You didn't? Why?"

Ventus shrugged his shoulders. "I knew that she had a thing for Terra. Not long after I realized that, he asked her out. The rest is history."

Jasmine's heart ached for Ventus. "Ven," she started, unable to think of what to say.

"It's fine, really," he reassured her. "I love both of them. They're family. And if they're happy, I'm ecstatic."

Unable to look at Ventus' face any longer, Jasmine focused on the intricately woven rug underneath her feet. She knew all too well what it was like, to watch the person you loved most be with someone else. Granted, Jasmine and Riku had a past. Ventus never even had that. And judging from the way Ven spoke about Aqua, even in regular conversation (and she secretly wondered why she hadn't asked this question sooner), it had been very obvious that something was there.

"I know how it feels," Jasmine whispered. "I do, I get it. And…it's so hard." Jasmine visualized the memory of Riku with Aria on the campus. He actually looked happy. Even though she would've given the world for it to have been her in Aria's place, Jasmine knew she couldn't disturb Riku's happiness. "You step aside because you love them and you just hope it works out."

"Exactly," Ven ran a hand through his spikes, only for them to bounce right back into place. He gave Jasmine a pained smile. "That's all we can do anyway."

Jasmine agreed. "One day we move on. Eventually it won't hurt at all."

Ventus stared long and hard at Jasmine when she was looking elsewhere, though he knew she knew he was watching her. Suddenly, out of the blue, he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Jasmine asked, finishing off what was left in her pipe.

He leaned back in a relaxed pose and shook his head. "I'm terrible company. I'm sitting with one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen and I'm going on about another girl. I should shut up."

Jasmine's blush deepened but she kept her cool. "I could say the same," she chuckled. "Usually I'm talking about Noctis or Riku, but here I am in Agrabah, far away from everything with a devilishly handsome blond. I'm screwing up big time."

"Are you hitting on me, Miss Valentine?" Ven teased.

"The question is, are _you_ hitting on _me_?" Jasmine fired back.

Ven said nothing. He simply laughed to himself and turned back around to look at the moon.

'Did that just happen?' Jasmine asked herself calmly, realizing that the two of them had hit on each other unashamedly. But when she really thought about it, this wasn't the first time this happened. Their first go around in Agrabah when they were still grunts in SOLDIER, Jasmine and Ventus were flirtatious with one another to a certain degree. As time progressed she wrote it off as the two of them being playful and would always dismiss those interactions.

Jasmine leaned back, wiping the sweat from her forehead, stealing another secret glance at Ventus. At this point, Jasmine no longer linked Ven and Roxas together or felt awkward about their many similarities. Ven was his own individual. And despite his high-stress job, Ven was a lot more relaxed and nonchalant with a more cheerful, playful disposition than that of his cousin.

And aside from the fact that he was older, Ven was taller and much more muscular from his time serving in SOLDIER with stronger, facial features.

Blush deepening even further, Jasmine stared at his eyes. Despite his purity and genuine lightheartedness in his gaze, she couldn't deny the alluring mischievousness in his royal blues that seemed to pull her in at random.

And then, just as suddenly, Jasmine snapped out of it. She was two steps from fantasizing about Ventus.

Clearing her throat, she closed her eyes and focused her mind on the mission instead of her comrade.

There must have been something in the Agrabah air.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hey guys so I know it's not Sunday but I wanted to give you guys something. I now write professionally so it's getting even harder to step away but here I am. This is the first short story in the "Bridge" series. I imagine there will be five different stories that will build up to the next story and they will be (intentionally) out of chronological order. However, once the third story comes out I'm sure it'll be easier to place.

So this short story will be centered around Jasmine and Ventus' relationship. As you probably already know from the last story, Ven and Jasmine are…special and I'm testing out this idea with two individuals who are the closest thing to soulmates.

Let me know what you guys think and I'll get the next chapter up no later than Sunday. Take care!


	2. Chapter 2

_Ventus stared up into the clear blue Agrabah skies, his vision blurry from the pain he felt from deep wound in his leg that had been bleeding for far too long. He knew that he was hanging onto life by a thin thread and that at any moment, he could slip away forever. _

_The angelic sound called him back to life, slowly but ever so certainly. _

_Her voice felt oh so distant even though she knew she was close by. _

_Ventus felt the sting near his leg and groaned in pain, noticing that the sound of her voice was growing louder, as if to try and block out his pain. _

_He looked up and his vision cleared slightly, Jasmine's face coming into full view. His head was resting in her lap and she appeared to be touching him, most likely where his injury was. She made sure to avoid his gaze, yet he stared at her unashamedly. _

'_Her voice….' Ventus said in his thoughts. She looked so gentle as she was singing to him. It was like looking at a completely different person. _

Ventus stared at Jasmine, another hot Agrabah night sweeping over the quiet city.

She stood near the balcony overlooking the palace grounds, her back to him.

Ventus recalled the memory of the day she sang to him. Back when they were still fairly new to SOLDIER, he had been injured and was standing at death's door. She was the one to save him. And to keep him "present" she sang for him – something he had often pestered her to do for him. She had refused to do so up until that point.

That was the moment he knew there was something magical about her.

"Long day?" He asked distantly, watching her watch the moon.

Jasmine, who had changed out of her work clothes, looked over her shoulder and nodded before turning her attention back to the moon. "Yeah," she replied, "but I think I can sleep in tomorrow. I found what I needed."

Ventus, who was standing at the door of Jasmine's bedroom, quickly closed the heavy wooden door behind him and pulled the lock down. "You found the journal page?"

"Yeah," she replied simply, acting as if the act was as simple and basic as cooking breakfast. "One of Jafar's rats were still hanging around the palace. It took some time, but he handed it over."

"And where is he now?"

Jasmine sighed heavily and crossed her arms over her chest. "He's dead. When he lost the page in our fight, he said that he would rather end his own life than go back to his higher ups. So…" Jasmine pointed to the direction of the slums. "He threw himself off the side of the building. The police picked up the body several hours ago."

Ventus' smile was gone, replaced by a grim expression.

"But it was so bizarre…he kept talking about how "the darkness will swallow you all" and that it wouldn't matter what I did – there was no escape for me."

Ventus shuddered. He hadn't expected for her story to be so _dark_.

"I'm sure he snapped recently. Every time I've come across someone with a journal page, it was the same thing," she continued on calmly. "The person was always unhinged and they always talked about "the darkness". It's all connected. I just have to finish putting the pieces together."

The blond was still trying to wrap his head around the situation. Jasmine had done a good job keeping him in the dark, only providing him the most basic of information. But still, Ventus knew nothing. And with a story as gristly as this one, he was becoming more worried for Jasmine and what she would find should she continue to go after the journal pages.

"That means you'll be leaving soon," he realized.

Jasmine nodded and turned around, leaning against one of the pillars in her bedroom. "My work here is done. Pretty soon I'll have to join up with Noctis and the others."

Ventus opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was at a loss for words. It seemed like they met up yesterday even though she arrived in Agrabah six days ago. Soon, they would have to part ways again.

"Come with me," Ventus said suddenly, extending his hand to her.

Jasmine stared at Ventus curiously. "Where are we going?"

Ventus smiled when he looked at Jasmine. "You'll see."

She reached for his hand slowly and they intertwined their fingers, each person shivering from the warmth. Ventus pulled Jasmine along and they walked side-by-side, leaving her bedroom.

Ventus knew the palace from the inside out. During his time in Agrabah, before he met Jasmine, he spent a great deal of time with Aladdin and the sultan and had taken it upon himself to explore the grounds. While Jasmine did the same on her last trip, there were a few places that Ventus knew for a fact she hadn't seen before.

"Do you remember when we met?" He asked, leading her down the more dimly lit halls.

"Yeah," Jasmine recalled distantly. "The castle guards thought I was Princess Jasmine and tried to bring me to the palace." She rolled her eyes at the memory. "Seriously, we don't even look that much alike."

Ventus laughed at the memory. He was patrolling the area, looking for his new SOLDIER contact, and just so happened to stumble across the scene. It took some convincing but eventually he was able to prove to the guards that Jasmine was not the princess.

"You guys kinda look a bit alike," Ventus admitted.

"Princess Jasmine is a lot shorter than I am, her skin is darker, and she has wider hips," Jasmine argued. "Those guards were just idiots."

Ventus chuckled and squeezed Jasmine's hand tighter, taking her down a back stairway with one light at the far end of the way. "If you stay out in Agrabah any longer, you might tan up like her."

Jasmine sighed. "Probably."

"And I guess you're right," Ventus added. "You guys don't look THAT similar. Plus, you have prettier eyes."

Ventus felt Jasmine stiffen behind him and pulled her along.

"It's true," he said in a softer tone, finally spotting the light at the end of the hall. "You've got the prettiest eyes out of anyone I've ever seen." He unlocked the door by pulling up the wooden slat sealing it off and carefully set it on the ground.

"Where are we going?" Jasmine asked again.

Ventus looked back at Jasmine, watching her reaction as he pushed the door open that led to the secret entry to the palace gardens.

As he'd expected, Jasmine's eyes widened and she smiled, rushing forward as she ran straight to the giant fountain sitting in the middle of the forest green garden. "Where did you find this place?" She asked, leaning over the fountain and picking up a vibrant red lily floating in the pond.

"When I first came here, the sultan took me on a tour of the palace," Ventus explained, walking to one of the bushes climbing up the palace walls. He gently pulled out a particularly large red lily and walked on over to Jasmine, sitting beside her on the fountain. "Princess Jasmine told me that she used to come here to escape from the guards with Raja."

"I still can't believe she has a tiger," Jasmine muttered to herself, still captivated by the beauty of the garden. "I can't believe flowers like this actually grow in the desert."

Ventus laughed and held out the flower to her, warmth flooding his heart when he saw her smile – something he'd only seen on a few rare occasions. "You know there's magic in the city. Anything can happen here."

Jasmine's smile grew, recalling their inside joke on the "Magic of Agrabah".

"It's a lot cooler out here," Ventus stated. "I'm sure the scenery is better here too so we can hang out here for a while. I don't think the guards will kick us out."

Jasmine sat down beside Ventus and twirled the lily in her hand, her eyes focused on the petal leaves as she turned the flower clockwise.

"You're too good to me," Jasmine said finally, her voice taking on a softer tone.

Ventus was surprised at the comment. "What are you talking about?"

She became very still and paused, looking up to the sky as if it was to give her answers. Jasmine sighed again. "You knew I was stressed. That's why you took me here. You've always taken care of me. You've always been there for me."

Ventus blushed despite himself, finding himself at a loss for words. Jasmine and he had always spoken very highly of one another. He was always complimenting her praises and he was always singing her praises.

"I mean, you've always been there for me," Ventus managed. "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead. I owe you everything."

"Ven," Jasmine said gently, leaning against him slightly, "You don't owe me anything. I genuinely want to help you in any way that I can. You've been there for me from the first day."

"And neither do you," Ventus replied, voice elevating, almost as if he was confused as to why she would say something like that. He reeled back and stared into her eyes. "Jasmine, you need to understand that there are people who care about you, who love you, who will do anything in the world and not expect anything in return."

He stood up then and walked a few feet away from Jasmine. Even though he knew she did a lot and was going through a great deal, Ventus had to admit that he found himself frustrated at times by her inability to let people in or let others care for. Sure it was out of self-preservation, which he understood, but he hated that sometimes it didn't feel like she accept his care or concern.

"You're not just Miss Valentine to me," Ventus continued, feeling his irritation slowly fade away. "Yeah we work together but it doesn't stop there. I know it, and I'm sure you know it."

Jasmine set the lily next to her on the fountain and slowly approached Ventus, however, he still had his back to her.

"Ventus," she began. She seldom used his full name. "Do you understand how hard this is?"

He didn't answer. He wanted an explanation before he said anything else.

She huffed and kicked at the ground, folding her arms across her chest, turning her back on him.

"Is that it? Do you want the truth?" She asked him sharply. "Fine. I'm just afraid that I'll lose you. Every single time that I tell someone the absolute truth, how much they mean to me, I always lose them in one way or another. It never fails. I lost Roxas, I lost Riku, and to a lesser extent, I lost Noctis – not that he and I ever had a future. I don't want to possibly lose you too. It's like I jinx myself every time I open up. That's why I keep it to a minimum."

Ventus scoffed, laughing darkly.

"What's so funny?" Jasmine asked almost indignantly.

"Don't you think we've crossed that line already?"

The wind picked up as the heavy silence swooped in.

Jasmine stood there, stunned, actually unable to come up with a proper response.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We're not just fighters," Ventus explained. "We actually really care about each other at the end of the day. I love you, and you should know that by now. Besides," Ventus exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping over, "I really think that you'll feel more free if you open up more. Statistically speaking, it's foolish for you to think that you'll lose every single person you say you care for."

He looked over his shoulder, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

He knew he had her by the look of frustration on her face. Under normal circumstances, Ventus wouldn't pressure Jasmine to admitting her feelings or thoughts. He knew that she needed to keep dangerous secrets to herself, especially those pertaining to her mission. But this was just a simple conversation between friends.

Plus, Ventus was willing to bet that no one actually really told her about her habit of closing up. To strangers, it was fine, but she needed to learn to let people care for her without her thinking that something tragic would happen afterwards.

Jasmine gritted her teeth, her face flustered from her irritation and inability to respond.

Ventus chuckled. He suspected that no one had actually talked to her so frank and so unapologetically before. Most people were afraid to approach "Miss Valentine" because, to be honest, Jasmine could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be.

"Ven," Jasmine started, her body starting to shake from her irritation.

"I know you believe that deep down in your heart, that I'm not going to ever do anything to ever harm you. You knew you had reservations about Noctis and the others, but I'm not them. And you know that OUR connection is different," Ventus told her gently. "I can't explain it, but it's there. I think you know it too."

Jasmine held her silence, refusing to respond to Ven's claims. She glanced at the earth beneath her and kicked at the sand before she started off in the opposite direction.

"You can't bottle everything up forever, Jasmine," Ventus called out, watching her halt. "One day, you're going to get out of this and you're going to stop fighting once and for all. Even if you can't see it now, it's going to happen."

"Please stop trying to read me," Jasmine asked finally, albeit sheepishly.

And there it was, Ventus realized. He'd opened her up and was almost at her core. It was the same as that day she took care of him, dressing his wounds and singing for him to keep him alert.

"You act like I'm going to hurt you," Ventus said after their brief pause.

Just then, Ventus noticed Jasmine's shoulders shaking and he became alarmed. From behind, he could see that she wrapped her arms around herself, her nails digging slightly into her skin.

"Sometimes," Jasmine whispered, "I'm afraid that it's never going to end. And even if it does end, what am I going to do? Go back to school? Go back to Angela and sing? Because I'm afraid that after all this, normal won't seem normal anymore."

Ventus chuckled, shoving his hands in his pockets. He smiled ruefully, knowing all too well what she was talking about.

"Why do you think I haven't gone back to Radiant Garden?" He asked her.

Jasmine whirled around and looked at him, her eyes widening as if she'd realized something.

"You're right," Ventus began, walking towards her. He felt a slight pain in his chest, thinking back on all his life plans. Ventus didn't have many regrets but he did, at times, think back on how different things would have been if only he'd stayed on Radiant Garden and attended med school instead of taking some bizarre internship with SOLDIER.

Unlike Jasmine, Ventus stumbled upon the world by accident. The university offered him an internship being a medical assistant in a far off land and of course, him being the adventurer, he took it without an ounce of hesitation. There, he met his late mentor, Master Eraqus, Terra and Aqua and he found himself enchanted by their world.

It was only when Master Eraqus was killed by Master Xehanort in cold blood in front of Ventus did he wake up from the fairytale and realize how dark the world truly was.

He dedicated his life from that moment on to helping protect others from the various dangers of the world, and to put a stop to whatever it was Master Xehanort was planning.

"Sometimes I think about it too," Ventus continued, drifting into his own thoughts. "How _do _we go back to regular life? We've seen so much, more than most people and they wouldn't understand. Then again," he sighed, "I'm sure they weren't supposed to. Sometimes I wonder how we were the ones who ended up here. I used to think it was dumb luck, but I'm sure it was fate." Ventus chuckled then, realizing how silly and dramatic he probably sounded at the moment.

Ventus froze instantly, caught off guard when Jasmine appeared before him, their distance little to none. She had her head towards the ground but she placed her hands on his shoulders, her hands traveling downward until they reached his elbows.

Jasmine lifted her head and stared deep into Ventus' eyes without any hesitation.

Ventus and Jasmine had always been good at nonverbal communication. From the moment they'd met, they found a way to speak to each other through the tiniest gestures or glances, something that had served them well.

But this time, Ventus wasn't sure of what Jasmine was trying to tell him and he searched her eyes, trying to figure out what it was she was trying to communicate to him.

Jasmine moved even closer to Ventus and their chests touched. She tilted her chin back and continued to stare into his bright, blue eyes.

Despite it being unusually hot on this particular night, Ventus felt a chill run through his body as he looked at Jasmine.

These were the moments where he could not figure her out, the moments she seemed almost magical to him.

The expression on Jasmine's, as Ventus had often thought, beautiful face softened dramatically and he felt a strange warmth radiate from her body that seemed to draw him closer.

"I love you too, Ven," Jasmine whispered suddenly.

Ven was taken aback by Jasmine's declaration of love. Not because he believed she was incapable of loving someone, because he'd seen it on multiple occasions with her friends and family, but because he honestly hadn't expected her to say it to him.

But that also worried him.

"It sounds like you're saying this now in case something bad happens," Ventus stated.

She merely shook her head. "I just wanted you to know that," Jasmine said. "You're right. While I don't have the luxury of letting my guard down like everyone else, I can at least be honest with the one person I know will never hurt me – the one person who knows what it's like to live this lifestyle – to be bounced around anywhere and everywhere with no real promise of stability. There aren't many people like us who live this way. We're sacrificing so much and give so much of ourselves. But the least I can do is be honest and give a bit of myself to you."

Ventus' heart swelled for reasons unknown to him. He had no idea why his feeling for Jasmine's seemed to be shifting in that moment.

He and Jasmine had an unusual, yet beautiful relationship that most onlookers could not understand. They were comrades, they were associates, and they were friends. Of course the two of them joked around on occasion and flirted with one another but neither of them ever gave it much thought. Ventus even stated on numerous occasions that she was attractive and she had said the same about him.

While Jasmine had admitted that he brought light to her life, Jasmine brought her own light by occasionally bringing him back to earth. He was a bit whimsical, a bit reckless, but she taught him how to think in the present and be logical – something that had saved his life on many occasions.

It was so odd. They seemed to be everything at once with an unnatural purity.

Still, neither one of them had discussed the idea of their brother-sister relationship taking a turn elsewhere. It just seemed to be a taboo subject for the two of them that they realized was off limits. In fact, Ventus took great care to keep those thoughts out of his mind.

But tonight, on this particularly hot Agrabah night, Ventus knew that this may not be the case for much longer.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Yep it's been way too long since my last update. I just got admitted to another university so that absorbed a great deal of my time. But on the plus side I'm done with all the nitty-gritty and can sort of focus on writing.

Anyway, what did you guys think?

hopefuldreamer1991: Thanks!

Sookdeo: This review has been a long time coming! Let's do it. You know, I didn't think about it too much. When I started "Heartbreakers" and got halfway through, a reviewer pointed out that they thought that my OC, Jasmine, was actually Princess Jasmine. It really was a coincidence that they shared the same name and a few physical traits. The team hasn't disbanded, it's just that Tseng has sent her off on a solo mission and the team will meet up again. As for Jasmine and Ventus, I feel like their relationship has been one of those things I keep in the back of my mind. In essence, they are perfect for one another and they balance each other out. But because they are professionals they don't even want to open up that potential can of worms, especially seeing as they both are trying to move on from their past loves (Riku for Jasmine and Aqua for Ventus).

Sammmm: First off, I am so happy that you've enjoyed these stories. Now, to our favorite blond….their relationship is so very important. The two of them have seen (almost) all of each other and their friendship (while it is still new in terms of time and years) is stronger than most. Who knows if they'll ever open up to the idea of a relationship? But this won't be the last time that topic is touched on.

animechick247: Yeah, Noctis and Jasmine still have a lot of problems to sort through. It's like they've put them on the backburner while they started their missions. As for the journal entries, the last chapter will contain the one she found in Agrabah. Heads up though, these bridge stories (and there will be a three more separate stories) are written purposely out of chronological order.

Guest: Disney does exist but in strange pieces. I wanted there to still be this real world feel where you would see something like Mickey but not quite. As for the "magic" aspect, I'm still tinkering with that now. However, once the Deep Jungle story comes out I'll address the "magic" subject again. I'm still trying to figure out how to work it haha.

GUEST: Yep! I promise to finish this one!

Meyoume: She did but along the way she is supposed to meet up with other members of SOLDIER.

Guest: I wonder which ship will sail in the end haha

Anyway guys thanks for reading and I'll get out the next chapter as soon as I can. Take care everyone and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Jasmine opened her eyes slowly, half-expecting to be blinded by the sun. Instead, she was met with the gentle glow of the full moon hanging over her head in the dark, Agrabah sky.

She shut her eyes again, her memories slowly returning to her. She sighed slightly and clung tighter to the bare chest of her treasured friend.

"Noctis is gonna kill me," Ventus said distantly before adding a chuckle. He looked down at Jasmine as she hugged his body, pulling the blanket further over hers, preventing her naked body from showing any more than it already was.

Jasmine nuzzled her head under his chin, a light blush staining her cheeks. "He'd kill both of us," she corrected.

Ventus thought about it for a moment before he agreed with Jasmine.

Of course the prince would be upset. Livid, even.

After all, Ventus and Jasmine had just slept together.

"I can't believe this happened," Jasmine said quietly, smiling as Ventus began stroking her hair.

Ventus broke out into a smile. "I can. I regret nothing."

Jasmine became silent, thinking back on how she ended up in this situation, how she had broken a major rule, and how if she were found out, Tseng would have her head.

"Tseng won't find out," Ventus said, interrupting her thoughts.

She repositioned herself on her bed in the guest room, rested her hand on Ventus' chest and looked him in his eyes.

"You looked worried for a second," Ventus explained.

"You're too good at reading my mind," Jasmine sighed.

He laughed uncomfortably and rolled on his side to face her. "I'm not that good at it actually. I can read your body language, but your mind? Hell no. I'd hurt myself trying."

Jasmine chuckled at the comment and stretched her arms out, yawning despite the fact that she had slept in most of the morning.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah? Why are you asking me if I'm okay?" Jasmine asked curiously.

Ventus' expression softened and his expression showed concern. "You know...about what we did," he clarified. "How are you feeling?"

Jasmine was initially confused but after thinking on it, she realized what Ventus was hinting at.

"Are you asking me whether I liked…you?" Jasmine found herself fumbling around to find the proper response for Ventus. She had never been open about her sex life to anyone, even Naminé and Tifa, and so now, discussing this topic felt a little bit strange and slightly uncomfortable. "I feel fine, Ven," she answered. "It doesn't feel real...what we did…and it just happened…"

But neither one of them could deny how effortless it had been to put down their respective fronts and slip into the role of lovers. It was Jasmine's last night in Agrabah and she was going to leave the following morning. She and Ventus decided to stay in his room in the palace for the night and somehow, things escalated.

"Do you wanna know something?" Jasmine asked Ventus.

"What is it?"

She inhaled deeply, the realization of what she had to say carrying more meaning than she originally thought it would.

"That was the first time I've actually enjoyed sex," she openly admitted.

Ventus' eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

She nodded, her memories of the past resurfacing. "The first time it happened, Vanitas blackmailed me. After that, I just kept sleeping with him because I was afraid of what would happen - not counting the time I tricked him."

For a brief moment, Ventus' eyes hardened but then he tried to return his gaze to a neutral one for the sake of Jasmine.

Still, she caught it regardless.

"Why did you make that face?"

Ventus exhaled and looked over his shoulder, glancing at his wristwatch on the table next to his glasses. He turned back around. "I don't think I can forgive him...for what he did to you. And...even though I know you're not worried about him anymore, I just can't forget about the fact that he raped you. And that he's hurt you in other ways. Mental illness or not, I don't think I'll ever fully be okay with him."

Jasmine stiffened, pushing the memory to the back of her mind. She promised herself that she wouldn't give that part of her life that much thought anymore and she was going to try to keep her emotions in check. At least for now.

"And then there was Riku," Jasmine began slowly and distantly, as if she were in a daydream. "We loved each other so much. We'd gone through so much. But Tseng yanked me away so quickly...and Riku proposed...I hated myself through the whole thing. I don't think I'll ever not feel bad about that letter or how it all played out."

"I get why you feel bad about everything," Ventus responded, "and I hate that you've had to go through all of that. You don't deserve that...any of it."

Jasmine casually shrugged her shoulders as if the experiences were minor. "It is what it is, Ven. I can't change the past."

Ventus pushed himself up on his shoulders and sat straight up in bed, running a hand through his disheveled blond spikes. He stared at the wall ahead of them intently before he shut them, sighing to himself.

Jasmine sat up as well, letting the blanket covering her fall. There was no sense in being modest. Even before this night, Jasmine and Ventus had both seen each other naked on several occasions. It just seemed silly to try and cover herself at this point.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him quietly.

He cocked his head to the side and broke out into a large grin from ear to ear, his cheeks slightly red. "That was really fun."

Jasmine's face flushed red and she rested her chin on his shoulder. "It was," she agreed. "I swear you're like night and day. For the most part you're like this playful puppy but I guess that's not always the case, is it?" She joked, gently nibbling on his shoulder. "Shoulda known you had a bit of devil in you…"

"Stop that," Ventus asked, his voice taking on a firmer, slightly husky tone.

She immediately stopped as he'd requested, a little bit confused.

He cocked his head to the side and kissed her forehead. "Keep biting me like that and we'll be up all night."

Jasmine huffed and sat up straight, running her hands through her own disheveled head of black hair. "We have to talk about this though," she stated in a more serious tone. "What did we just do, Ven?"

"We had sex," Ven deadpanned. "I think the kids today call it a "hook up" or something like that."

She elbowed him in the ribs. "I'm serious."

Ventus laughed. "I know." He pursed his lips and gave Jasmine's question a great deal of thought before answering. "Well I'd say we both got carried away."

"Yeah, really," Jasmine chimed in. "Friends don't typically screw each other."

"But we both wanted to do it, right?"

"Uh huh," Jasmine admitted sheepishly, remembering how they'd both asked for consent.

"So that means we both made the conscious decision to sleep with each other - which means that we crossed the friendship line way back there," Ventus reasoned. "Do you think that something might be there?"

Jasmine hesitated. She wasn't ready to have this conversation yet even though she needed to.

"I know that I care about you a lot," Jasmine mumbled.

"And it's a given that I care about you a lot too," Ventus added.

"But…" Jasmine clutched the covers underneath her, looking around at the room in the palace, remembering why she was here in the first place. She felt that familiar wave of dread wash over her, the thought of Master Xehanort and his plans causing her to tremble.

"But we don't have the luxury of a relationship right now," Ventus finished for her, noticing Jasmine's change in behavior. "If that's what we would both want. Even so…" Ventus pulled Jasmine's much too long bangs out of her eyes, "I think it's safe to admit that nothing between us has changed. Like, I feel like we could wake up the next morning like nothing happened and keep going on like any other day."

Jasmine, now forced to look into Ventus' eyes, relaxed her shoulders, trying to let the tension slip away. "We're still the same friends we were yesterday."

Ventus let her words sit with him for a minute before he answered. "So we should keep it that way," he concluded. "Are you okay with that?"

With a heavy heart, Jasmine nodded her head.

Truth be told, she was still healing from her old wounds on top of her other problems. And she was more than sure that Ventus was still trying his hardest to get over Aqua. No matter how close they were as friends, no matter how much they had both desired one another in this moment, their own personal feelings would have to be put on the back burner.

At least for now.

"It's not that I can't imagine anything with you," Ventus began, "but I know that we both have a lot on our plates. And I don't want to complicate things for you any more than I did already tonight."

Jasmine chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I appreciate it but I'm a big girl, Ven. We already talked about this so I'm good. And you actually have a good head on your shoulders. I don't think that what we did is gonna compromise our missions. At least not from where I'm sitting. But it's good that we're waiting to talk about this later. I'm just glad that this won't hurt our friendship."

"Of course it won't," Ventus said, almost surprised. "Before anything else, we are good friends. BEST friends even."

"I feel the same way," Jasmine told him.

Ventus fell silent again, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

"What?" This question came from Jasmine.

"As your friend, I have to admit that I enjoyed you more than anyone else."

Jasmine's blush deepened. "As YOUR friend, I'm going to go ahead and say the same thing." She laughed and laid back so her focus was on the ceiling. "Thanks for sending me out on a high note," Jasmine joked.

Ventus kissed the top of Jasmine's nose before he laid back down as well. As per the norm whenever they slept together, Ventus rested his head on Jasmine's chest, holding her body as if she were a pillow. "No," he argued. "Thank YOU. I think I'll actually get a good night's rest now."

"That's good," Jasmine stated, glancing at the clock on her laptop screen and the folder sitting on top of the keyboard, containing the journal pages. "Because you and I need to get up early. I have a few errands to run before the helicopter comes to pick me up and you have a web conference with Tseng."

Ven groaned out loud, noting how quickly she slipped back into business mode. "Well, that didn't last long. Goodnight, _Miss Valentine_."

Noticing the sarcasm in Ven's voice, Jasmine smiled and kissed the top of his head before she wrapped her arms around him. "Goodnight, Ven."

* * *

_Journal Entry 3_

_Master Eraqus is no more. _

_My old friend is gone. _

_But it had to be this way. His ideas were much too rigid, too outdated. He could not have existed in the world I wish to create. One way or another he would have been destroyed. In fact, he should be happy that it was by my hand and not by way of one of my "heartless". _

_His pupil, Ventus, was rather distraught. I offered him the chance to join me but he refused. It's just as well. I have Vanitas: my greatest creation yet. I've trained him in science, psychology, business, and combat so that he could be of use to me in the future. He is the perfect weapon. _

_Still, he has one weakness: that girl. _

_I don't know what he sees in her. Every chance he gets, he runs off to the islands to see her and her wretched parents. But that goes to show how foolish they are. How could they have forgotten what happened all those years ago? She did, but they didn't. _

_And yet they've invited Vanitas so easily back into their lives. It's rather pathetic. They're clinging to the memory of Vanitas and his parents and what could have been. _

_They will not survive in my new world. Neither will their daughter. _

_M. X._

* * *

**Author's Note**: It's been a while guys but here is the last chapter of the first "Bridge" stories. What did you guys think?

Personally I'm happy that Jasmine and Ventus are friends before anything else and only see themselves as friends. It's so strange. The two of them are soulmates in a way and it's nice to see that. Sure they may have crossed over into other territories but at the root of it all they're platonic. Still, who knows what the future will bring for everyone?

What do you think will happen if Noctis or Riku find out?

**hopefuldreamer1991**: At this point, who really knows what the future holds for any of these characters? But there will be more of these side stories so eventually we'll revisit Jasmine and Ventus' "adventure" later on.

Well let me know what you guys thought about this story. I'm working on the main story as we speak. I'm not sure when I'll start that one though. Still, leave a review and I'll see you guys soon!


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